its all or nothingit's something or nothingit's large or smallbright or darkwith no in-betweenits the peripathetic here-on-earthor the hubbell far awaycompound heavensingeing eyebrowswith its visible hint of eternity

i justly rebelled when youngagainst this that and everything...i swam in death infested riversand drank the potions of the godsto no availthere was nothing to be done'cept move from day to dayaccepting all and its compound nothingall was complete in repudiationof solidity certainty direction justice balance alljust the construct of my self floating the days away

'cause it's something or nothingall or nothingit's heart of meteoreagle's flightlighting flashor subterraneansometimes un-clandestine murmurfrom earth's magmademanding alldesiring nothingrising searching for a weakness in the crustand then kaboomanother Mt. St.Helenand what was somethingbecomes nothingall is nothingand the rockswere something and then nothingand the forests were something and then nothingand the rivers the sky the clouds the sky itself obscuredby something that made nothing of something not quite humanwhile we in awe crowded the sidewalks of our anguish

it's something then it's nothingall is nothing nothing versa-viceat the end of the roadthere is another road'cause nothing has become something surrealcatapulting hopes planswhateverour busy mind envisionsa vast nothing of something

o to be nothing and alland sap and tree and waterand the pensive fishthe air the brimming airthe birdsall or nothingnothing and all

I absolutely love this poem my friend. For me as an atheist it touches upon the nothingness, or that which remains unseen, the anti-matter that faithful or religious people tap into when talking of their god/gods.

This piece is loaded with existentualism, questioning you - the poet, and me - the reader's place in nature and time. I would say it's safe to state there is a pleasant earthbound Pagan soul resounding in this work. Indeed the title; The word is the thing, has served to anchor my mind temporarily in awe and wonder at my own journey through life. It may even work upon my atheism, chewing at the raw edges of my rage against orthodoxy.